Ubisoft released a new trailer for Watch Dogs 2, going through a point-by-point rundown of what makes the sequel better than its predecessor.

They start the near-eight minute trailer by describing Marcus, the new lead protagonist, as a more “likable” hero than Aiden Pearce. I don’t know if I would jump to the conclusion of being “likable” until gamers actually get to play as the kid and find out for themselves if they actually like him or not. They also mention that this time around Watch Dogs 2 is more vibrant and youthful as opposed to being gritty and downtrodden like the first Watch Dogs.

The one thing they mention is that cars now have arcade controls. They are “skid resistant” and “hug” the road at high speeds. So you’re basically getting the exact same kind of car physics that are present in games like GTA V or Sleeping Dogs. I don’t know if making the game more samey will be an improvement; but Hangar 13 Studios and 2K Games also mentioned the same thing about Mafia III, stripping down the more realistic driving mechanics from Mafia II and giving the third game a more arcade feel to the handling.

I’m not too fond of every action game trying to mirror a homogenous take on open-world activity. Sometimes the flaws can help give the game an identity. With that said, it’s disappointing that the realism that some open-world titles tried to achieve during the seventh gen like with the awesome vehicle physics in GTA IV, the more weighty controls in Watch Dogs 1 and the hefty vehicles in Mafia II have been done away with for more light-hearted driving that you would find in a Need For Speed game.

In fact, the game is even more of an arcade game than Need For Speed because every car in Watch Dogs 2 has a turbo boost feature for when the normal cars just “aren’t fast enough”. It almost feels like they’re stripping away the challenge of getting good in order to make sure everyone can become Steve McQueen.

They added more side-quests to Watch Dogs 2, including racing mini-games, stunt challenges, drone challenges, and other taxi-style driving challenges.

The trailer also talks about parkour, new weapons, improved melee and more flexibility in how missions can be completed. The flexibility of tackling missions is a breath of fresh air considering that in recent years games like GTA V have really restricted the openness and player creativity when it comes to how missions can be completed, which really ruins the replayability of the game.

You can look for Watch Dogs 2 to launch on the Xbox One, PS4 and PC starting November 15th.You can learn more about the game by visiting the official website.

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Billy has been rustling Jimmies for years covering video games, technology and digital trends within the electronics entertainment space. The GJP cried and their tears became his milkshake. Need to get in touch? Try the Contact Page.